


Get What You Give~

by C_A_T_M



Category: Monsta X (Band), NCT (Band), WAYV
Genre: Angst, Chinese Food, Chittaphon Leechaiyapornkul | Ten is Whipped, Cross-Posted on Tumblr, Denial of Feelings, F/M, Fast Food, Feelings, Fluff, Kim Dongyoung | Doyoung Being an Asshole, M/M, Matchmaking, Metaphors, Polyamory, Restaurants, Stupidity
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-26
Updated: 2019-07-26
Packaged: 2020-07-20 10:28:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 19,398
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19990642
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/C_A_T_M/pseuds/C_A_T_M
Summary: Setting people up as a job was interesting. You met people from all walks of life and helped them find the love they needed, but what happens when a matchmaker ends up getting matchmaked?





	Get What You Give~

"Hey, have you gotten another assignment yet?" Doyoung's voice reached him, his mop of black hair visible from the outermost corners of his vision. "You've been sitting there doing nothing for almost two days now, what's the use in you coming in?" 

Ten couldn't help but let his eyes roll, leaning back against his chair and mimicking his coworkers pose - balancing on the hind wheels of the office chair. "Jealous, old man? Just because you're having trouble with your work you come and harass me? I can, and will, file a complaint against you."

The tell tale thud of all wheels hitting the floor made Ten grin triumphantly, his smirk brazen and unapologetic as Doyoung threw him the middle finger. "Shut up. I hope your phone rings and you have the hardest case of your life."

Almost letting his eyes make a full 360° turn again, he only just managed to resist when he saw Doyoung return to his furious typing, filling out yet another document with a ridiculous amount of information required. There really was no fun in beating a dead horse so he didn't bother to retaliate. 

His spinning chair landed back on all four wheels, his body jerking as he huffed, spinning around on the contraption at ridiculous speeds. Maybe if he spun hard enough, he could make himself sick and _finally_ have something to do. 

Like Doyoung had said, he had spent the past two days doing fuck all. Of course it had been fun the first few hours, with his carefree browsing of random websites and messing around with his colleagues, that thrill had slowly dissolved into mind-numbing boredom. 

The spinning chair did nothing more than make his skull rattle, insides twisting and turning inside home as he huffed loudly. 

You would think that in a society so obsessed with finding love, a matchmaking company would be bustling with life at all hours of the day. His empty schedule was a direct contrast to that. 

Ten pulled himself back under his desk, staring blankly at the google homepage that mocked him, the event specific doodle laughing in his face. 'Haha,' it said, 'look at you being pathetic in your pathetic cubicle with your pathetic job.'

God," He groaned, exiting off of the internet and reviewing the files he had on his desktop. 

The pink love hearts that decorated the homescreen of every computer in the company was nauseating but oddly endearing. You developed a fond outlook towards them when you spent hours staring at them. 

Just as he was about to scream and take his fifth toilet break within two hours, the phone rang. 

Praying that it wasn't just another prank caller, he snatched the phone up and held it to his ears, preparing to start his usual spiel.

"Hello, this is is the Matchmaking service 'Only One of', how may I help your love life today?" When he first began the job two years ago, it made him cringe beyond belief to say; who wouldn't die of embarrassment saying something like that?

Some crackling came from the other end, like they were holding tin foil near the microphone and scrunching it. 

"Hello?" He reiterated, this time he received a response.

"Uh hello, I was wondering if you could help. You guys match up people, right?" 

Resisting the urge to point out that it was one of the first things he said, he spoke a 'yes.'

"It's these two people. They're so stubborn and we don't know how to get them together. Whenever we bring it up, they dance around the topic," Thanking every god he could think of, he opened up the new customer document enthusiastically.

"Are you using this service for yourself or on behalf of someone else?" 

"Someone else," There was a pause, "Can you do that?" 

It was painfully obvious that the person speaking had not done an ounce of research before calling. Oh well, he wouldn't have either. 

"You can but the rates are higher as it comes with the risk of the involved parties being unhappy with someone foreign trying to match them," The man mumbled something before sighing. "Can I please have your name and the names and ages of the people you want to match?"

"My name is Lee Minhyuk and the two people I want to match are Lee Jooheon, 24 and (l/n) (y/n), 23."

Of course he didn't really have any government official records for him to look through, but a quick search in the database brought up some social media pages for them both - of course all private. Nothing a quick google search couldn't bring up. 

"Okay, do you have information on how they met and their current relationship?" 

"Uh, I'm not sure on how they met but they both like each other. They have for a while, probably around 8 or 9 months," Ten blinked, impressed. Most crushes fizzled out after a few months; he could already tell this one was going to be interesting. 

Typing the information up quickly, he glanced at the clock. "That's great, would you like to schedule an appointment so we can discuss this in more depth, or would you prefer carrying on over the phone?"

"In person. Can I have the next available appointment?" 

"Sure. We have one available for 2pm tomorrow, is that okay?" 

Minhyuk hummed, muffled speech coming from the other end before there was a confirmation. "That one is fine. Is there anything else I need?"

"That's all, Sir. Do you have any further questions?" 

"It's okay. I'll come in tomorrow at 2, thank you," Hanging up just after Ten wished him a good day, he finally allowed himself to break into a huge grin. 

Finally! Now all he had to do was let the real fun begin. 

* * *

When he had arrived on time and with neatly ironed clothes, Doyoung had raised an eyebrow, looking him up and down and almost held back his laughter; the keyword being 'almost'. 

"Oh my god, you really are desperate. I guess being bored was good for you," Not even bothering to waste his energy with scowling at him, Ten instead shrugged before a dangerous smirk began to form on his lips.

"How is your assignment going? It's the horse girl and the guy who was rejected by her twin sister, right?" If looks could kill Ten would have been flying into the core of the earth with how intense the evil eye was. "Figured as much. Have fun!" 

With a teasing flying kiss, he didn't stick around long enough to hear Doyoung's rebuttal - he had _interesting_ clients to attend to. 

Since he had come a little while before the appointment was due, he was able to relax in the cubicle. It was infinitely larger than his own little cardboard box of a workspace and he loved the feeling of being able to lounge. (The only downside was that he couldn't pop his head out and annoy his coworkers but that was a small price to pay for such luxury.)

Setting up his details on the much more expensive computer, he reviewed what little he already knew before the clock struck 3.

There were voices, two people being guided by the receptionist Byeongkwan who gave him a quick and encouraging thumbs up. 

Ten quickly stood up, thanking Byeongkwan with a dip of his head before facing the two men who were in front of him. 

"Hello, my name is Ten and I'll be helping you with the matchmaking process," The one with red hair looked like he was holding back a laugh, not that Ten could really blame him. "Please take a seat."

"Hi! I'm Minhyuk and this is Kihyun, he insisted on tagging along," There was a quick look of disdain exchanged, however judging by the way their grimaces soon changed into a smile, there wasn't any true animosity. "I asked Jooheon yesterday about how he met her and he said that they met while she was delivering food to his university."

"Romantic," The man named Kihyun commented, his cheeks pulling up as he grinned, his red hair flopping into his eyes. "Sorry if this is rude, but is this a legitimate service?" 

Ten looked up from his computer screen, very amused by how Minhyuk elbowed Kihyun and stared at him. 

Though it was a valid concern. No matter how much people were in love with the idea of love, some people were skeptical for the reason of the Only One Of establishment.

"That's a good question," Pulling out a leaflet from the box in front of him, he passed it to Kihyun. "We do offer a genuine service where we try to encourage a relationship where there is potential for one. If we think that people are incompatible, we refuse the job. It's really just the same as two friends trying to help but you have an entire team backing you." 

Kihyun nodded, leafing through the pages and looking impressed at the details. From their high success rate at matching couples to their morals, there really wasn't any alarms blaring. 

"Oh, okay. Sorry again, I was just wondering."

"That's fine. Do you have any other questions before we start?" 

This time it was Minhyuk who spoke up. "How will you do it? Match them together that is," Round eyes looked at him in questioning and he jokingly tapped his nose.

"A magician never reveals his secrets," he leant closer, "but I'll make an exception this once. Usually, since I work with the person who wants to be matched, I work behind the scenes. The time since it's a third party, I'll be going out myself and doing things first hand."

"So you'll actually speak with them?" Kihyun asked, raising a perfect brow.

"Exactly that. Anything else?" They both shook their heads. "Great, let's start, shall we? Do you have any information that you think could help me?" 

Kihyun pulled out his phone, looking over some messages before tilting the screen towards Ten and pointing towards some of them. "They're both really skeptical. They're in denial and refuse to acknowledge that the other person likes them. I asked Jooheon why and he said that she's never shown interest." Minhyuk's sharp nose scrunched, snorting briefly as he rolled his eyes. 

"Which is a lie. She's head over heels for him. I go into where she works and she's always asking if he's okay, if he's eaten," Minhyuk gasped, drawing both men's attention, "She works at the chinese take away, Weishan V. Just thought I'd mention that."

Ten nodded, now he knew where he needed to target. "Where does Jooheon-ssi work?" 

"He works with a music company but you can find him more often in the music room at SKY university, that's where he gets food delivered."

The conversation carried on for a little while more, with Ten gathering as many details as he could so he could properly form a plan. It seemed easy enough, two young adults who just needed a shove in the right direction was simple enough. He was thanking all the heavens that he didn't have insufferable clients like Doyoung currently did.

"Alright, that's all we need. Can I have your numbers, just as a way of contacting you if something comes up," Minhyuk spoke his number, watching as Ten typed it into his work phone and saved it, sending him a 'Hi' to check if it worked. 

Ten: Hi

Minhyuk: Hey

"Thank you," With bows and smiles, the two men soon left and Ten was left to spin in his chair in his lonesome. However, another message soon came through, attracting his attention.

Minhyuk: 

Minhyuk: That's Jooheon

His eyebrows shot up into his hairline, staring at the picture that he had just been sent. How on earth was someone so handsome not already taken? 

In the picture he had a faint smile on his lips, glossed red and hair styled to perfection. His skin was perfect, his styling choices accentuating his features; he was jealous. Honestly, Ten could see himself going for Jooheon. And he would have if he wasn't a client. At least now he knew he would have something nice to look at while doing his job - another score against Doyoung.

Minhyuk: *image attached*

Minhyuk: That's (y/n)

Minhyuk: Hope that helped ! :)

Now he was speechless. Sure he was one confident motherfucker but even he had his limits against beautiful people. How the hell was he going to function when both of his clients seemed like they were god's gift to the world?

She had beauty that shone through even in a picture, even if her features weren't necessarily outstanding. The gentle and easy going smile paired with the slightly awkward peace sign was more than endearing. Every dip and contour of her face was ensnaring and he cursed himself and his luck. 

Damn it. Maybe now he _did_ wish he had boring clients.

* * *

When he had gone looking for the takeaway, Ten was surprised to find that it really wasn't that far from him. At most it would take him 5 extra minutes to walk there, practically begging him to come in. 

It was a nice little shop, situated on a road just off the edge of the main street; not too hidden that it would get no business but not directly in anyone's face either. With a nice colour scheme of navy blue and a deep red, it was eye catching and pleasing to look at. 

Placed on the front of the painted window, the golden curled handwriting flicking upwards, almost guiding him into looking at the 'drivers wanted' sign. It almost seemed like it was begging for him to apply. 

Besides, it wasn't a bad looking place. If he could earn a little more money doing a job while also technically fulfilling his other job, why shouldn't he take the extra cash?

When he walked in, the smell of delicious food had hit him instantly, his stomach threatening to grumble embarrassingly loudly. The interior was even prettier than the outside, with polished wooden panels, traditional lanterns and delicate decorations adding to the homely vibe.

There was a young boy working behind the counter, looking no older than 18 as he regarded Ten. "Hi, what would you like to order?" His voice was chipper, pleasant to listen to. 

"Oh I'm not here for food, I was just here about the job offer for the driver." And with a few well placed smiles and nods, he had easily landed the job. Infact, Kun (the man in charge of the establishment and also surprisingly young) was practically willing to hire him on the spot. 

This was why he now found himself sat on the comfy stool, staring at the TV that played cartoons in mandarin. He had no fucking clue what was being said apart from the occasional word here and there, though the cute animations were enough to keep his attention on it. 

The shop had yet to open and he was beginning to become slightly bored. Kun had gone into the kitchen, smiling at him and explaining that the person training him would be there soon. All of the servers came around this time now anyway so he would be making use of himself in a bit. 

A buzzing in his pocket made him look away from the very riveting tale of two talking pigeons to his phone, only to see a text from Doyoung.

DemonYoung: Where r u??? Taeyong-Hyung's been on my back 

DemonYoung: I stg if ur faking being ill again 

Ten: Relax

Ten: I got a job :)! You should do the same!

DemonYoung: ㅋ ㅋ having a proper laff here

Ten: >:(

DemonYoung: You have a third party job? Jealous

DemonYoung: Anyways I asked where u were 

Ten: WeishanV, that chinese shop

DemonYoung: Oh good

DemonYoung: Maybe you'll get a fortune cookie that tells you ur future is as dead as your roots

Ten: So funny luv xx

Ten: I'll pray for u while eating good food

Ten: Lunchbox bitch

DemonYoung: smd

Ten: Later maybe

DemonYoung: BYE

Doyoung went offline, not resurfacing no matter how many more messages he sent. However, even if it was highly annoying, it was perfect timing since he heard the small bell ring to signal someone's entrance.

"Dejun, hey, Dejunnie? Have you seen that idiot of a front line worker?" A female voice spoke out, his gaze quickly landing on a woman that had not been there a few minutes ago. 

Within half a second, he had recognised her; she was one half of his clients. 

The picture didn't do her justice. With the ambient red and yellow lights

She walked closer, plain white shirt and black trousers flaring with the speed with which she moved, her eyes set on his handsome coworker. 

Dejun raised a striking brow, his sharp features pulling into a confused expression as she stopped just in front of the counter, her body leaning over the stained wood. She hadn't seemed to notice that Ten was there yet. 'Good,' He thought, 'Let's see how she acts normally.'

"I can't say I've seen Yangyang," Dejun struggled to hold back a laugh, his curiosity getting the better of him. "What do you need him for? He asked if I can cover his shift because he's sick."

Grumbling, she shoved her hands into her pockets and shook her head. "Of course the dickhead's sick. He made me deliver food to him at his friend's pool party just as we were closing."

At this, even Ten couldn't help but make a face. 

"Pool party? It was raining yesterday from 6pm," Dejun said what he wanted to voice.

Her frown deepened for a split second before she sighed. "Exactly. I'm just waiting for him to come now so I can strangle him. I'll make him eat a frog."

With one final sigh, her body moved away from the counter and Dejun rolled his eyes jokingly. "I feel bad for you, Ten-ge."

As soon as her hues landed on him, it felt like hundreds of icy needles were jabbing at his skin. Everything about her piercing stare made him feel like he was sitting there naked and bare for her to pick apart. Heart quickly picking up speed, he briefly wondered if she had already figured out his reason for being there. 

But Minhyuk had said that they both had no idea, hence his reason for being 'undercover'. There was no way she could have k-

"You must be the guy who stole my job," Spoken with humour and mirth, she gave him a thumbs up. "I'm (y/n), I'm going to be training you. Or at least that was what Kun said I was going to do."

Grabbing a black waist apron and tying it onto herself, she situated herself on the bar stool beside him. Her presence was comforting, not at all overbearing or pressuring. It made him feel at ease, like he was sitting with a long time friend.

"I'm Chittaphon, though most people call me Ten," His hand extended, implying a handshake that she readily took, "you can call me job stealer."

Her grip tightened for a moment as she registered what he said before she was laughing, her smile so bright and broad that it left no doubt in his mind that Jooheon would be one lucky guy to see it everyday. 

"I like you already," She stated, eyes grazing over him for a moment before moving to Yukhei who leant over the counter, his hands still slightly wet from washing the dishes. 

"So Ten-ge, how did you manage to get the job?" His confused expression earnt a few giggles from the staff behind him.

"Not many people applied and when they did, Kun-ge didn't like them," Renjun explained appearing from behind Yukhei's shoulder after emerging from the back. "What did you do to make him say yes?" 

"Nothing?" He really hadn't done anything particularly interesting, just spoken about why he wanted the job. Genuinely, he has thought he wouldn't even be considered as, after realising Kun was the same age as him, he had cracked a few horrible jokes and puns - he didn't really _need_ the job anyway. It was just convenient.

Then a new voice cut in, "that's right, nothing. Like all of you are doing right now," Kun tutted, pretending to frown but soon breaking out into a smile as he joined his employees, standing beside Yukhei and Dejun. Hand reaching into his pocket, he produced a fortune cookie and handed it to Ten. "Open it. It's a tradition for new staff to open one and share it, as a way of sharing new blessings."

Kind of a strange tradition, he mused, but a cute one nonetheless. Small and packaged neatly in paper (later he would find out that Kun was an environmental enthusiast), he opened it up to see the crisp golden brown of the biscuit. Snapping it in half, he divided it into 6 pieces.

"Read it gege," Yukhei urged as they all leant over his shoulder to read along with him. 

Gingerly picking up the white strip of paper, the red letters practically jumping out at him. "You will receive what you have worked to give others."

There was a quick silence as everyone tried to make sense of it, some of the staff taking a piece of the fortune cookie and others making small noises that signalled confusion. 

"Well," she broke the silence, pausing to chew on the sweet biscuit, "I hope you've been nice to others, job stealer, or that fortune cookie might be suggesting something other than kindness in your future."

As the others broke away and scrambled to follow Kun's instructions, her fingers brushed over the crimson letters - trying to feel the weight of the words that were written. "Is something wrong?" He asked.

She shook her head, standing up and neatening up her apron. "Kun's fortunes always have a way of coming true, you should remember that."

He would have thought she was joking if not for the sincerity in her eyes. Suddenly it was only them in the shop, the noise and laughter from the others fading away until he was left scrambling to make sense of the emotions that stared back at him. 

Ten swallowed, his smile small but genuine.

"I will."

* * *

DemonYoung: Wyd

Ten: Sucking my own dick

DemonYoung: I wouldn't put that past u

Ten: :*

DemonYoung: fr

DemonYoung: Still w ur clients?

Ten: Yep

Ten: Also its literally the second day

Ten: U miss me already? Cute

DemonYoung: K

Ten: Talking w clients now

Ten: Still at the shop

DemonYoung: Cool

Ten: ikr,,, need to meet the other guy but idk how

Ten-ge?" Yangyang spoke, his phone pocketed and Doyoung's subsequent messages ignored - he would get a grilling for that later. "You have to do a delivery with Noona."

There hadn't been many deliveries last week, most people coming and opting to take away or eating in so he has spent most of his shifts watching cartoons while chatting with the other staff. Really it didn't feel like a job with how easy it was to like the others, nothing like his office where he felt like he was fighting multiple foes at once. 

"Really? To who?"

Yangyang's smile began to enlarge, growing in size until Ten feared that he might split his cheeks. His mouth opened and the earth trembled under his feet from how loud Yangyang was, never mind the looks he got from the patrons who were trying to enjoy a simple meal. "FOR LEE JOOHEON AT SKY UNIVERSITY."

Quite obviously it was meant to annoy a certain waitress and judging from the quick steps and furious glare directed at the younger boy, it has worked. Her gaze spoke of murder even if her body language did not - they had to uphold the reputation of WeishanV somehow. 

"Yangyang," She hissed under her breath, Ten's own lips threatening to quirk upwards into an entertained simper, "I will actually kill you."

"Ooh, I'm scared," The mischievous teen laughed, clearly not bothered at all, "go get your man, Noona. I obviously don't need to tell you the address."

Words accompanied with a wink, she only shook her head and took the paper bag with the order inside. "Let's go, Ten. Spending time with him is a disservice to your general wellbeing." 

As they were walking out, Ten caught Renjun's eye and watched as the boy mimed gagging, making kissy faces while her back was turned and stopping immediately when she glanced in his direction. Both he and Yangyang giggled like little kids, whispering and sniggering. It really wasn't hard to tell that they were still going through puberty. 

The air today was cool, a delightful contrast to the heat of the shop that made him sweat more than he liked. Wind ruffled her clothing, her arms hugging the order closer to her chest for protection while they walked to Ten's car. 

It was cute seeing her guard the food from the cold, especially when she began squinting from how hard the wind was whipping at her face yet she still refused to let go of the order. Ten assumed it had something (read: everything) to do with the fact that it was Jooheon's food but he digressed. 

His car was significantly warmer - in both personality and heat. Little music charms dangled from his front mirror, coupled with a dancing sunflower that bobbed happily on his dashboard. Both were gifts from Taeyong for his birthday. ("Your car is boring," Taeyong had said, shoving the items towards him, "you need to liven it up or no one will want to sit in it.") Ten thought it was stupid then though quickly changed his mind when she had grinned upon seeing them for the first time, touching the dashboard decorations with awe and childish glee and complimenting them.

"The address is SKY University, right?" Her response was a dry chuckle, seatbelt resting neatly over her chest as she nodded. 

"Didn't you catch Yangyang's shouting? Or maybe he deafened you before you could hear it," Biting on the inside of his cheek to contain his laugh, Ten shrugged. 

"I think the second option. I stopped listening to him after he said something in german," Food now in the backseat, she leant back into the comfortable seat. Multiple times he glanced over, a question itching at him until he couldn't help but spit it out. "Do you like Jooheon?"

Even if she didn't turn her head to look at him directly, she still looked at him through the mirror. Slowly, she sunk further into the seat and exhaled like the weight of the world was on her shoulders. 

"Yeah. I have a crush on him, they all like teasing me about it because they have nothing better to do," Good, this was going to help him.

They turned onto another road, waiting at one of the red lights. She tapped her foot, chewing on her bottom lip before turning her head and making genuine eye contact. 

It was really damn annoying how breathtaking she was, it made it hard to concentrate while speaking to her. Feeling like your lungs were going to collapse when talking to someone was not ideal at all. 

"Does he like you back?" He knew that answer to this question.

"No." 

Apparently he did not. 

Ten nodded, the red light turning to green. 

"He likes nice people, he orders a lot so maybe you'll be friends."

"He's going to love me then, I'm the nicest person alive," Unlike many others who would have laughed at him or pulled a joking disgusted face at his comment, she patted his thigh and hummed. 

"Yes he will. You're very easy to like," He was so thankful that the university was straight ahead, any longer in the car and he would have imploded. "Let's park here, neither me or you is about to pay the stupidity high parking fees."

The car rolled to a stop, his inhale deep as he left the small, confined space. 

"This way, Tennie," delicate fingers touched his wrist, guiding him towards the entrance. Maybe if she had tightened her grip, she would have felt his racing pulse. 

The receptionist hardly looked up, seeing her for a split second before letting her through. "Wow, you must come here often for that reaction."

Shrugging, her hand dropped from his and he could feel his skin tingling, his skin warm where she had touched him. He really hoped he would get over this quickly or it was going to be an awkward job. 

"I don't know how he's not morbidly obese yet, I guess he's got a fast metabolism," Leading him into the campus, he realised that this was the creative arts building, his interest piquing. 

"Is he a dance major?"

"Close, he's a music major. I'm pretty sure this is his last year," Ascending the stairs, they finally reached a room filled with computers, low bass thrumming under his feet from just outside it. 

"Delivery," Jooheon looked up at the sound of her voice, his slow head bobbing pausing as he turned around, "for Lee Jooheon."

Dressed in nothing more than a simple black hoodie and jeans, Jooheon didn't seem like he cared too much for his current appearance, and yet? He still looked the picture of a model. Ten would have been jealous if he wasn't in awe. Seeing a photo and seeing a person really _were_ different. 

Headphones rested around his neck as he stood up, his full height slightly taller than Ten (then again, everyone was taller than him). "Oh, hey." 

"Hey," He stuffed his hands into his pockets, concentrate solely on her. From this distance, he could clearly see the red undercurrent that tinged the skin of his ears. Feline eyes remained on her visage for a few more seconds before he seemed to finally notice Ten stood there a little awkwardly. 

Jooheon gave him a polite head nod, his good natured smile leaving his dimples poking ever so slightly into his cheeks. 

Ten, personally, wouldn't claim himself as a very fatherly person but he would have been lying if he said he didn't want to wrap Jooheon up and protect him from harm. Or maybe just squish him, either option was good.

Glancing at her, she quickly got the hint to introduce them.

"Jooheon, this is Ten, the new delivery driver. Ten this is Jooheon," He stretched out his hand, noticing that Jooheon's handshake was quite firm.

"Oh? Does that mean you're jobless now?" Jooheon asked, shuffling slightly on his feet, unsure of what to do with himself. He could have laughed at how oblivious they both were. 

"For three days a week I am."

It was silent again and Ten felt a strange combination of awe and jealousy. Electricity ran through the room, Jooheon's pupils forming hearts as she exhaled softly. In his line of work he was always able to witness the process towards love, the one where there was awkwardness and the chance for unrequited feelings. But he rarely ever had the chance to see it when it was in blossom, when it breathed air into a person's lungs and had the potential to become a force to be reckoned with. 

Even while he was in the room, they were in harmony, small gestures and assured smiles mirrored to each other before she broke the serenity by taking a couple of steps forward. 

"Here's your food," Snapping out of whatever trance he was in, Jooheon thanked her and pulled out the exact amount needed. "Thank you."

"Yeah, thank you for bringing it," Jooheon directed a good natured dip of his head towards him, "and it was nice to meet you too, Ten-ssi."

They left not soon after, the azure headphones slipped over his ears and the dull bass underfoot returning. Not a thing in the universe was disturbed. 

"He likes you," Ten said, jogging down the stairs beside her.

"Please, Ten. Don't get my hopes up for no reason," She said it jokingly but even the deaf would have heard the underlying sadness that smothered her words and drowned them. It made him frown to see such a bright character be brought down by the thought of unreturned feelings. "Jooheon just knows me as the delivery girl for Weishan. Nothing less and nothing more. I appreciate you, really."

Ten only shook his head and sighed; Minhyuk and Kihyun were right.

They both really were stubborn. 

* * *

"Ten. Ten! TEN!" Startling up at the scream next to his ear, he stared death at Doyoung who couldn't have looked more unbothered even if he tried. "God, you're irritating."

He bristled at that, reaching out to deliver a swift kick to Doyoung's chair that had him spinning madly. "I'M the irritating one? You're the one screaming in the middle of the office."

"You and I know damn well that I only scream because you do it to me first," He couldn't deny that. The two liked to bicker like children (something that routinely got on Taeyong's nerves) and argue over nothing and everything. It was almost a routine set in stone but there was a deep rooted respect for each other. Neither one of them would ever intentionally hurt the other. 

"Yeah, yeah," Doyoung scooted back to his cubicle and stared hard at his screen, attracting Ten's attention."What are you looking at?"

A finger pointed to the screen where, in big block capitals, it said that the case was cancelled. "So horse girl and rejection boy didn't work out?" 

"Apparently not," Doyoung said, humour lacing his words as he now understood that he had no work to do. "Look at who's relaxing now."

The smugness in his voice made Ten retreat, rushing back to his computer in an effort to avoid hearing his own words echoed back to him. It didn't work - Doyoung never let anyone opportunity like that go.

"Jealous are we, little boy?" Here he went. "Does it hurt you to see me relaxing while you're slaving away? Tut tut." Ten was ignoring him and the older boy didn't like that one bit shuffling closer and looking over his shoulder. "What are are looking at?"

"Work, some of us need to earn our keep."

"Be quiet," He read over all the details that had been filled out before looking at the picture, "she's pretty," Doyoung said offhandedly.

"She is. She's nice too," And he knew as soon as the last syllable hit the air that he was an idiot. 

Doyoung's expression changed completely, a supervillain type laugh bubbling from his throat as he kicked his feet up on to Ten's lap for the sheer fun of it. "What did you say there, Ten? Would you like to repeat that?"

"Fuck off."

"Because what I heard was that you like her," Doyoung clapped his hands together, looking like he was about to start a prayer. "Oh lord help you, this is too funny."

"I will actually kill you-" His threats were nothing compared to Doyoung's teasing, the human bunny already on his bullshit. 

"You like your client." 

"I don-"

"TEN LIKES HIS CLIENT!" 

A bunch of laughter and giggles erupted from the other overworked people on the floor, his cheeks hot as he attempted to sink into his chair. If the earth wanted to swallow him up at this very moment then he wouldn't have opposed. 

"I hate you so much," Doyoung patted his shoulder, his smile infuriating and triumphant. 

"That comes with the friendship."

For a split second he wondered if he would be able to get away with murder before ultimately deciding that no, he could not, and he would have to deal with Doyoung for the rest of eternity. 

* * *

MC: I'm sorry Tennie

MC: Something came up

MC: I can't come to my shift today, I told kun but I wanted to give you a heads up too

Ten: That's fine

Ten: Hope everythings well

MC: 🤝☠

To say that her cancelling was mildly annoying was a lie; it was highly annoying. There wasn't really a point in him even showing up if she wasn't there. Even so, he would go anyway because he was pretty fond of everyone there and a little extra money never hurt.

However, first he was going to lay in bed for five minutes longer - had that dent always been in the ceiling?

Abundantly clear that he wouldn't be getting anymore sleep, he rolled over onto his opposite side and groaned into his pillow. Had anyone seen him now, they surely would have thought of him as someone thrice his age with how loud and pitiful his groaning and bone cracking was. If you listened heard enough, you could hear his joints moaning under the pressure. 

"Fuck me," Cool air nipped at his exposed skin before he finally forced himself up to sit on the edge of his bed and contemplate life. 

The result of his existential crisis was nothing particularly interesting or new, just that he was now in Weishan V with Yukhei chattering in his ear about something he had barely heard instead of in his room.

"Noona isn't coming in today?" Yukhei asked, his large hands supporting his face as he plopped himself into the seat in front of the till. "Do you know why, Ten-ge?"

"No, she didn't say why, didn't she tell you she wasn't coming in?" 

"She blocked him," Dejun piped up, joining them as they lounged around on the counter. There weren't very many customers this before lunch time apart from some elderly patrons, so they were free to kill time. "She got tired of him sending chicken memes."

Yukhei's expression was scandalised, hand pressed over his heart. "They're funny! Noona just doesn't appreciate fine humour."

"If you call chicken memes fine humour, Xuxi, then I'm truly worried for you," Ten commented, earning a chorus of laughter and a whine from the overgrown puppy of a man. 

"I agree with Hyung, your chicken memes are horrible. She did herself a favour blocking you," Pouting, Yukhei got up from his seat and shook his head, sending a glare to Renjun who only shrugged in return. 

"I'm telling Kun-ge you're all bullying me," With that, he disappeared and Renjun quickly stole the seat and began to spin in it, slowing down just to stare at Ten. 

"Has she told you?" He randomly questioned, "about her massive crush on Jooheon-hyung? You went to delivery together so she must have."

Dejun looked especially interested, scooting closer like it was a mothers meeting. "Right, has she told you if she plans to tell him? They're both so stubborn, I'm going to lose my mind. We've all placed bets, I think she's going to confess first. What about you?" 

"She did tell me that she likes him and I'm pretty sure he likes her too, but I don't know if she plans on telling him," Ten responded, not noticing that the bell to signal another customer jingled.

The two men shook their headaches, tutting in unison like disappointed parents. "Ridiculous. I bet Jooheon-Hyung will-" Dejun's eyes shifted to behind Ten and his mouth snapped shut midway through his sentence. Of course, being the most person Ten was, he turned around and immediately wished he hadn't.

Crimson and gold painted his features, covering him in an ethereal light that almost made him want to dramatically fan himself. Pretty was one way to describe Jooheon; ethereal was the only way to fully encompass everything about the man. 

The red bounced off his jet black hair, almost as a warning to others that he was a devil in disguise. Nonetheless, that illusion soon dispersed when he saw the huddle of men near the till, walking over with a wave and skip in his step. 

"Hey, how are you guys?" Jooheon greeted, a row of smiles radiating the same energy back towards him. 

"Good, what about you, Hyung? You didn't choose to order today?" Renjun spoke with a slightly raised brow, and even though his voice betrayed nothing, they all knew exactly what he was implying. 

Jooheon took it in his stride, "I thought I'd see my favourite dongsaengs."

"Hyung," Yangyang cut in from God knows where, "Noona isn't in today."

At this, Jooheon floundered, his lips pursing as he sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. "Oh? Is she sick?" 

"No clue," Renjun said, "Would you like to order anything? I would make Dejun-ge serve you but you're already here."

Only nodding, Jooheon mumbled out a 'can I have my regular please? To eat in,' before scurrying off to sit in one of the chairs far away from the amused teens and singular adult. 

"Tut tut, you guys are so disrespectful, don't you have any manners?" Expression schooled into a stern look of disapproval, Ten shook his head at the younger trio. "I'm telling Kun afterwards."

It was an empty threat, he really wasn't going to say anything to Kun because he didn't think there was anything wrong with a little joking - Jooheon also didn't seem like he minded aside from the slight embarrassment that naturally came from being put on the spot like that. 

Despite this, he really enjoyed hearing them all whine and beg for mercy, unwilling to sit through Kun's infamous rants about respect. Ten has already been witness to two of them and knew that he would also be grovelling for forgiveness.

Instead he ignored them and walked off, seating himself opposite to the victim of teenage reading. "Don't mind them, they're just kids."

Jooheon nodded, the heavy bass from the one dangling earphone reaching him even from this distance. "I know. They tease me every time I walk in here," He exhaled, straightening his posture and fully taking the time to examine Ten, "how is the job going, Ten-ssi?"

"You can just call me Ten, and it's going well. Being a driver isn't too hard if you have a car," Upon seeing Jooheon's expression change into bewilderment, he elaborated, "apparently some people applied and they didn't even have a driver's license." 

"That's smart," Jooheon said, turning off his music and putting all his undivided attention on him.

Ten hummed, fingers delicately tapping on the wooden table. "You were in the area? Any particular reason?" The question was followed by a subtle yet still mischievous smirk that curled the edges of his lips upwards. 

Groaning, Jooheon buried his head in his arms, only his eyes peeking out of the little hiding place he made himself, strands of raven hair falling messily over his hues. "Really? You as well? Are you sure you're not 19 too?"

"I look it, don't I?" It was shockingly easy to talk with him, no awkwardness nor confusion hung in the air. He also hadn't cringed at Ten's lack of filter so that was good. "I'm 23."

"Oh cute, you're younger than me. You have to call me Hyung now," Slowly his head began to leave his little place of embarrassment, peering closer at Ten, "what do you do, aside from this of course."

It really wasn't forced small talk either, with the way Jooheon was looking at him like he was the only interesting thing on earth, he was more than happy to natter away. "Nothing really, I'm either here or at home," a white lie but he didn't feel too bad about it. It wasn't like he could say 'yes, my other job is a matchmaker which, by the way, is the reason I'm talking to you.' "What about you? She told me you were a music major?"

Jooheon nodded, head placed in the palms of his hands. "I'm in my last year, I can't wait to fini-" He was cut off by Renjun placing his food down on the table, his good natured smile and 'thank you' only painting a clearer picture of an angel. Unfortunately, there wasn't any opportunity to carry on the conversation as Yangyang made good use of his vocal chords and proceeded to scream that there was a delivery - how he still had a job was a mystery.

"I have to go, it was nice talking to you, Hyung," The honourific made him beam, the entire world stilling and forcing him to take in how Jooheon so effortlessly stunning.

"Have a good day, Ten."

"Yeah," He said, turning around, "you too."

* * *

"Hey Ten-ge," Yukhei spoke, looming in the doorway and blocking out most of the light, "can I ask you something?"

"You can ask me when you move away from the door, Xuxi you're blocking my vision," He shuffled aside with an apologetic smile. "What do you want to ask me?" He didn't bother to look up, instead carrying on with his assigned task of dishwashing. 

"Well I uh- I was wondering if you could give me advice," He stilled and then looked up. Yukhei had hunched over a little, his back no longer straight and his height reduced as he played with his thumbs, the caramel skin on his face tinted with red. "There's this person that I really like and I-uh, I was wondering how I could tell them."

Now he certainly was interested. If this person had Wong Yukhei twiddling his thumbs like a lovestruck teen then Ten would be dishonouring not only himself and his profession, but love as a whole, if he didn't help. 

"Well, that depends on you. What do they like and what are you comfortable with doing?" 

"Well they like cooking and romantic things. I don't mind doing whatever, I just don't really want it to be too public," Ten leant back against the sink, not caring that his shirt was now wet from soapy water. 

"Cooking? Why not make them something homemade and put a note in? Something sweet like a cake or muffins. Those usually win over lots of people," Yukhei nodded, still looking a little unsure but a lot more confident, "Xuxi, you shouldn't stress about it too much. If they accept then you've won and if they don't, then they're missing out. You're a good guy and anyone would be lucky to have you."

Yukhei nodded, expression of soberness and uncertainty melting into something akin to confidence and faith. "Thank you, you're a lifesaver!" 

"You're welcome," He turned back around to his dishes, "now go home, your shift's over."

A muttered curse was heard before being followed by rushing of footsteps and a 'bye Gege!' that echoed around the shop. His hands dipped back into the like warm water, ready to return to his cleaning when a hand landed on his shoulder and scared the life out of him. 

"Holy fuck! Do you want to kill me?" Eyes narrowing at the owner of the hand, he resisted the urge to throw water at her as she laughed. "You're going to have to clean these dishes and my body."

"You're so dramatic, TenTen," Scoffing, he returned to cleaning while also making a show of ignoring her as she poked his sides. A month of working together brought about a playful relationship that meant she took no offense to his theatrics.

"You won't be saying that when you explain to the police why my corpse is in the kitchen," Her eyes rolled playfully and she took the towel from the counter. 

"Wow, you're actually annoying," reacting out for the wet plate, she began to dry them. "But Ten, I never knew you were so experienced with crushes. You knew exactly what to tell Xuxi."

"You were eavesdropping?"

"Not really, I just came back from a delivery when I heard you two talking," She placed another dry plate on top of the makeshift stack. "He really likes Kun. At first we thought it was just an admiration thing but apparently not."

He could see why Yukhei liked Kun, especially when the man was so kindhearted and fair. Kinda was easy to get along with and was eager to please everyone - sometimes to a fault. 

"I don't see why Kun would say no," She hummed.

"Neither do I."

They worked in a comfortable silence. She dried the dishes while he washed them and they carried this on until he finished, just spending a few moments looking her over. 

The uniform she wore was dishevelled, the white short that had been pristine at the beginning of her shift was now wrinkled and no longer tucked in. The apron was also hanging off of her hip, hanging on only by the lazy knot that she had gotten Renjun to tie. However, the bulbs still created a halo around her head, the white of the kitchen's lights reflecting God's will onto her figure. 

It was peaceful; she was peaceful. 

Her sleeves were pulled up, a bracelet sitting neatly on her wrist and jingling with each rub against porcelain. There wasn't anything particularly brilliant that she was doing except for cleaning, yet she still managed to bring a smile to his face. 

One that he quickly wiped off mind you once she looked at him, sensing his gaze. "Is something the matter?"

"No."

"You said that too quickly," Damn her. 

"Whatever," She huffed, the sound full of amusement as she shook her head. Her fingers were cool, touch dizzying as she held his wrist and pulled it out of the water and turning on the taps.

"What would you do?" He blinked at the question, not quite understanding.

"For what?"

Perfectly tempered water rushed over his hands, her touch gentle as she cleaned them, the harsh soap leaving the surface of his skin without resistance.

"The same thing as Yukhei. What would you do to ask someone out, Ten?" The water turned off and the silence was deafening, ringing in his ears as she slowly patted his hands dry: then she stopped and looked at him quizzically and he realised that he probably should respond. 

He really didn't like how she could make him go speechless without doing anything - like she held some higher power over him that he was powerless to resist. Even for their first meeting, he had found it incredibly hard to find the right words, almost stumbling over basic sentences. 

"I-i would probably tell them while we were doing something we liked," She finished one hand and moved on to the other, his limbs moving to her whim.

Nothing seemed to exist outside this small bubble, the rain outside that battered the window now barely audible over the sound of his heart in his ears. "No confession over text?" 

"That's the cowards way out," Fingers laced with his for a split second, his heart stuttering and stilling. Just as fast as she had done it, she had let go and let his hand drop, her visage blank but eyes as endless as the stars in the sky.

"Huh, glad you agree." 

Years seemed to pass on the few seconds he stood still, the rain now deafening in it's assault against the glass panes when seconds ago it had seemed like nothing more than a soothing lullaby. 

"How would you tell someone you like them?" She took a single step closer and it only decreased the size of the world around them. 

Answers were slow to come, her expression slowly forming a fond simper as she reached to hold his hands, cupping them in her own. Ten would have been convinced she did this just to see him squirm if he hadn't seen her do it countless times with the other staff. 

"The same as you, doing something we like or by giving them something," She laughed, the sound brightening the room. "Why do we always somehow end up talking about this? I guess it's just your power, Tennie."

Questions began to form in his mind. How would she react to the truth? Would she be disappointed or angry? Would she care? 

"I should change my name to cupid," Only shaking her head at his antics, she pulled him out of the kitchen, the light switched off and immediately plunging everything into a debilitating darkness. 

"That would suit you, but sleep suits you better. Let's go home, yeah?" With barely enough energy left to refuse, he let out a noise of approval, body slightly slouching on hers. "Did you bring your car?"

"Yeah, didn't you?" She shook her head. "I thought you said you did a delivery?"

"I did but it was only a ten minute walk so I did it for you, I didn't need a car. I'll just catch a bus home or walk," His eyes immediately rolled, looking at her like she was crazy, "what?"

"Walk home in this? You must have lost all your common sense, I'm driving you home and you can't argue against me," There really was no use in trying to dispute anything with Ten when he had made up his mind, so she just agreed. 

They left the kitchen, the lights turning off and dishes ready for use tomorrow.

It was odd, watching the lively takeaway turn into a husk of its former being once everyone was away. The rest of the staff had already gone home since it was past closing time anyway. Kun normally would have closed but had asked Ten when he suddenly had to leave to pick up his younger cousin Chenle. 

When he was by himself, everything was more haunting, the otherwise beautiful red and gold lights that illuminated the restaurant now feeling like something from his worst nightmares. It was part of the reason why he was so glad she was there; she has turned his feelings of anxiety and paranoia into tranquility and calmness. 

"Do you live far from here?" He shook his head. It really was within walking distance and he would have walked it had the job not required his car. 

"Do you?" 

With a non committal grunt, she closed up the till and turned off the only other lights, the rain now no longer visible. "Not really, it's about a ten minute bus ride and a five minute walk."

"Okay so that's another two reasons why I'm dropping you off," The two huddled under the slight overhang above as she locked up the door, key pocketed and safe before making a straight beeline for his car, not wishing to have an impromptu shower. 

Puddles splashed and spread while they bolted, droplets smacking them almost tauntingly in the face in the few seconds they were exposed. Mother nature really was ruthless.

"Shit," Came her soft hiss, hands rubbing together to provide warmth after she had put on her seatbelt, "I love taking random showers."

"Oh yeah, me too," Ten scoffed sarcastically, engine thrumming underfoot as he pulled out of the employee parking that was only really occupied by him, "I love having a thousand litres of water just thrown straight down at me."

Unsurprisingly, the streets of Seoul seemed to be empty, the slippery roads void of other cars and pedestrians - everyone taking the smart option and opting to wait the terrible weather out.

Her eyes were glued to the outside, watching the world pass by as the glass was slowly covered by hundreds of raindrops, the kaleidoscope effect it produced almost as stunning as the city outside. 

"It's pretty," She commented off handedly and he knew her eyes were burning into him despite not taking his attention off the road, "I like the rain but only when I'm inside and not getting drenched."

"I prefer sun," He reached the end of the road, the red lights bringing a violent sense of deja vu, "which way should I turn?" 

"Just got straight ahead, it's the flat building next to the sizzlers," Streams of molten gold striped across her face, the exposure from the street lights bathing her in an ethereal glow. "And the sun is nice, you seem like a summer person, Tennie. Do you go on holiday often?" 

"I wish. I don't have enough money to go on holidays," Sure his job paid him decently enough, enough so that he could be comfortable - holidays however, were a stretch. "Not by myself anyway. I haven't been abroad in a while."

"You're Thai, right? Have you been there recently?" Another corner was turned, the speed not too fast or too slow. 

He thought of his home, his childhood and everything he had left behind in hopes of something better. "No, but I want to go back. Have you?"

The reply was slow, her fingers fiddling with a stray thread on her sleeve. "I'd like to. Maybe you and I could go together," It was followed by a soft laugh, her response mostly a joke but he was already thinking of what they could do. 

He would show her his home city, proudly displaying each nook and cranny that he had spent years scoping out while he was a child. He would treat her to traditional dishes, expose her to his culture - share a part of himself that he couldn't do in Korea. Then he shook his head, internally cursing himself out for drifting away in his thoughts like that.

"You'd have to be prepared, going anywhere with me is an adventure," He jested while ignoring how his heart fought to beat out of his chest. "Could you handle it?"

"You're underestimating me."

"Am I?"

Tongue wetting her lips, they soon pulled up into a subtle smirk. "There's a lot you don't know about me, Ten."

'Then tell me,' he wanted to say but the words were stuck in his throat, unwilling to vocalise, 'tell me what I don't know."

"Turn right here," The smirk disappeared and instead replaced with her signature blank expression. "I wouldn't mind going anywhere with you."

Did she realise what she was doing? Did she know that he was struggling to think of a reply that wasn't a stupid 'thank you' ? What was with her and Jooheon always finding ways to mess with his head?

Before long, he was outside the complex and had failed to give a more eloquent response, leaving him to simmer in his own agitation as she got out of the car. 

"Thank you and get home safe, yeah? Leave me a message when you do, I don't want anything bad happening," Knuckles turning white as he tightened his hold on the steering wheel, he breathed a soft 'okay.' 

She waved, gesture simple and easy going as she disappeared into the building, the rain almost parting for her as she walked inside. Ten was left wondering, car still in the same spot long after she had gone:

How could someone say so little but make him think so much?

* * *

"Ten-ge, you have a delivery for SKY university in music room 3," Dejun informed him, walking out of the kitchen with a paper bag in his hands "It's for someone called Jeonwoo." Warm food shoved towards him, Ten could only groan and take the food, heaving himself off of his seat and making his way out.

After over a month of working on this case, he still hadn't gotten much further and he had no clue what he was supposed to do. Both of them were clearly googly eyed for the other yet still refused to say anything over the stupid fear of being rejected. 

He was so incredibly close to snapping, all his restraint used in not screaming to the skies and to Taeyong about how troublesome these two were. What also was really unhelpful was how easily they flustered him, making him feel like he was one being matchmaked instead. 

Food placed in the passenger seat, he drove as quickly as he could to the university, not really in the mood to be doing anything. Ten would much rather be sat watching the current news on China with Yangyang poking and bothering him than drive around.

For a small person, he moved around quick - resulting in his arriving at his destination within ten minutes. Why they didn't just go to the shop was beyond him.

"I have a delivery," The receptionist clearly couldn't have cared less, immediately letting him in once she saw the bag with the logo on it. God, he could relate. 

Practically running at this point, he relied solely on memory to get him to the creative arts building,the obnoxiously bright painted walls aiding him in his quest. 

His knuckles hit the wood of the door, more so an act of courtesy than waiting for any response. It was the exact same room he had been in before, the computers and interior ringing a bell. 

"I have an order for Jeonwoo-ssi?" Stepping inside, he squinted in the darkness, unable to pinpoint anyone among the rows of computers and random instruments.

Then a voice spoke up, "here."

With blue headphones securely around his neck and embarrassed expression on his face look seeing Ten, it was clear that this 'Jeonwoo' was fake. 

"Hyung?" The absurdity of the situation was almost comical and Ten would have laughed if he wasn't so bewildered, "You're Jeonwoo?"

The dark lighting, or lack thereof, was Jooheon's saving grace as Ten was unable to see the furious red that coated his cheeks.

"Uh… Yes?" 

Right, Ten thought, Whatever, he was only here to deliver food anyway. 

"That'll be ₩9000 please," He paused for a second before adding, "Jeonwoo-ssi."

Jooheon groaned, forking over the exact amount of money needed while simultaneously trying to hide his face. "Shh, I only did that because I didn't want them to think I was fat."

Staring ludicrously at the man in front of him, the laugh that had been concealed was rearing its head, body almost doubling in it's hysterics. "Why would anyone think that?"

"Because," Plush lips formed a pout, Jooheon's eyes refusing to meet his, "I keep going in. It's like the third time this month, I know for a fact Yangyang is announcing whenever my name appears."

Well, Ten couldn't deny that particular thing because it was true: though not for the reasons Jooheon thought. 

"I'm not going to say that's not true beside it is but it's not because he thinks you're greedy or lazy. It flusters (y/n) and he's a demon for riling her up," Jooheon blinked owlishly, blushing now for an entirely different reason. 

"...For real?"

"Yes, really," Ten sat down on one of the chairs, spinning absentmindedly. Since he was here, he may as well make use of his time - Kun would forgive him for being a little late. "If you're worried about coming across like that, why don't you make your own food?" 

"Oh I don't eat it, I take it home for my roommates. They just like asking me to order it because they say it delivers faster when I do," Ten barely held back that eye roll. 

Jooheon fiddled with the handles on the bag, warmth seeping into his lap before he gasped suddenly, turning to the computer. "Ten, do you mind doing me a favour?"

How could he say no when he resembled a puppy begging for treats, eyes doe like and bottom lip damn near trembling? Jooheon really knew how to work his charms.

"Uh, sure," The gleeful sound he made was cute, the headphones removed from his neck and handed over to Ten who awkwardly held them. "What do you want me to do?"

"Can you tell me your honest opinion on this? I've been wanting a review but my friends too biased," A quick glance at the screen showed a song that was being worked on, the various colours and parts on the programme hurting his brain. 

"I can do that," Cheesing hard, Jooheon waited impatiently for him to put the headphones on before pressing play. 

The first few beats were slow and steady, slowly building up into a ready rhythm. Instead of being hard and heavy in its bass, it was mellow and pleasant to listen to. Soft and fluffy was the correct way to describe it and really did suit Jooheon. Then came the mixture of both his singing and rapping and his jaw just dropped to the floor. 

Jooheon watched all of his reactions, buzzing in his seat as he waited for the final verdict. He resembled a small child waiting for their mother to give them a cookie, excited with a short attention span. 

The song passed within the blink of an eye and Ten was left speechless; too in awe of both the talent and the effort that has gone into making it.

"So?" Jooheon asked, barely biting back his excited smile. 

"It was…" He set the headphones down on his lap, "amazing! Wow, you're really talented, Hyung. The beat was good and the rapping was so well done. It was you, wasn't it?"

Nodding bashfully with hand rubbing the back of his neck, Jooheon looked nothing short of elated. "You think so? And yeah, that was me rapping. I added the lyrics afterwards but I'm really glad you like it. Thank you."

"I should say thank you to you. Are you going to publish this anywhere?" 

"I'm thinking of submitting it to a company but I really just made it for personal use," Ten could admire that, it was nice to do things just for yourself. "I made it for (y/n). Would she like it?"

Instantly Ten's mood lifted, this could be the final push he needed! He nodded like a mad man. "She would! You should show it to her."

He hummed, turning back to the computer with some doubts. "You aren't just saying that?" 

"I'm not a liar, Hyung," Ten was many things, though deceitful not being one of them. "It's really thoughtful. You're so talented."

Jooheon giggled and the sound echoed in his mind for far longer than it should have, constantly playing like a broken record. The sound was so soft and carefree and when paired with the deep dimples that cut into his cheeks? It was like witnessing heaven on earth. 

"You're too kind," Jooheon's hues were sharp, looking him over: from his slightly matted black hair that was styled into an undercut down to his ripped jeans that exposed slivers of tan flesh. He could have sworn he heard Jooheon mumble 'and cute' but he was more than likely projecting. "Oh shit, sorry. I kept you for so long."

"It's okay, it was nice seeing you again," He got up, brushing the non existent wrinkles from his attire. "Take care, Hyung."

"You too, Tennie," And he left before he could spend any longer with his head in the clouds, ears buzzing as he rushed out of the campus without a single glance back. 

* * *

"Neither of them have confessed yet?" Taeyong asked, prompting Ten to crack open one eye, his head hanging off the seat of his chair and giving him a perfect visual of Taeyong's nostrils. "And this is a third party case? You have it rough."

"I know right? They're both so damn stubborn," Shaking his head, Taeyong gently spun the chair with his foot, watching as Ten rotated in circles with his head dangling. "It's been a full two weeks and I haven't even managed to get a proper conversation with the guy. I'm going to go bald from stress."

With a noisy exhale, Taeyong scooted his chair closer and mimicked Ten's position so that they were both face to face, his legs thrown over the top of his chair while his head was near the wheels of the office seat. "Who are they anyway?" 

"Oh so fuck client confidentiality?" Ten snorted at the less than impressed look directed towards him, "it's (y/n) and Jooheon."

"Jooheon? I know him. We did a showcase together once," Of course the social butterfly Taeyong knew everyone, who wasn't he acquainted with? "He's your client? Small world."

"Yeah," huffing, he reached out a hand to spin Taeyong, "small."

"Why don't you ask the people who hired you to get you two to meet. Maybe organise a party or something?" He shot up quickly at the suggestion, nearly head butting Taeyong in the process.

"You're a genius. Wow, I could kiss you," Taeyong flushed, swatting at the younger male as he rolled his eyes, "Thanks Hyung."

Barely hearing the comment of 'you only call me that when it suits you', Ten pulled out his work phone and began to furiously type out a message. 

Ten: Hey

Ten: Do you think you could get me closer to Jooheon-ssi somehow?

Ten: I haven't spent any time with him and I need his input to make this work.

A few minutes passed before a response came from Kihyun. 

Kihyun: Oh there's a get together Minhyuk's been planning at a karaoke place

Kihyun: You can join that, Jooheon will be there too

Kihyun: Just bring a plus one

Ten: Sounds good

Ten: When is it?

Kihyun: In about a week, is that okay with you?

Ten: That's fine 

Kihyun: Thank you by the way

Ten: It's no problem I promise

Kihyun: :)!

His mouth opened to tell the news to Taeyong, or more specifically to beg him you come with him as the plus one, but before he could there was a frustrated scream that came from next door - Doyoung's cubicle. 

"What-" From anguish that was in the shriek, Ten expected a murder to have taken place, blood coating the walls and all that malarkey. Instead he got Doyoung with his head on the desk and a new customer profile open. "The fuck?"

"Doyoung! Why are you screaming?" His head did not lift from the table as he pointed towards the name on screen: 'gongmyung.'

"Isn't that your brother?" 

"Yes, and he wants to be matched with Johnny. Please... Kill me," All they could offer him was a less than consoling pat on the back and a few badly contained laughs at his expense when he wasn't looking. 

Apparently Doyoung's streak of bad clients was never going to end. 

* * *

"Is this where you wanted to meet up?" Taeyong asked, pulling his jacket closer to himself a strong breeze passed them both by, his hair ruffled and lips drawn into a soft pout. "its Minhyuk-ssi right, and Jooheon?"

"Should be," Suddenly he was regretting wearing nothing more than a thin black shirt and skinny jeans; the cold permeating through the pathetically bad insulation. Taeyong had told him to take a jacket and Ten would rather break his toes than admit to him he was cold. "I can't see them."

Taeyong, who really wasn't that much taller than him, stood up on his tip toes, trying to look above and over the crowds. "What colour hair do they have?"

"Jooheon-hyung has black hair and Minhyu-" A sudden shout startled them both, Taeyong's balance failing as he jumped and almost sending him toppling into Ten.

"Hey! Ten!" Minhyuk's peppy and energetic voice cut through the noise, his figure soon emerging from the crowd with his hand waving frantically to get attention. If Minhyuk was here, he figured Jooheon wouldn't be too far behind. 

Bouncing on the heels of his foot, Minhyuk seemed like he would rather keel over than keep still, his constant movement nearly giving Ten motion sickness. 

"Jooheon's right behind but Kihyun couldn't come. I brought Wonho-hyung instead, is that okay?" Merely waving off his concern, he gave a reassuring thumbs up. He couldn't have cared less about who Minhyuk brought as long as Jooheon was present. 

Just at that moment, like a fulfilled prophecy, Jooheon appeared in their view with someone following closely behind. 

"Hi, sorry for being slow. We got stuck behind this huge crowd and Hyung here," Jooheon's deadpan stare bore into the back of Minhyuk's head, "couldn't be bothered to wait."

Dark brown pools scanned the duo, lingering on Ten for a second before narrowing on the recently turned brunette at his side. "Taeyong? Man I haven't seen you in forever! How are you?" 

The two shared a quick hug and exchanged pleasantries while the other man introduced himself as Hoseok, preferring to be called Wonho. He seemed nice enough, his baby face completely contrasting how his muscles threatened to rip through his shirt and how the buttons holding his ensemble together strained. 

"Shit, it's cold. Let's get inside," Insanely glad that Minhyuk had finally suggested what he had been dying to do, Ten near enough bolted inside the establishment. 

Inside the building it was much calmer and much warmer, something the entire group could sigh in relief about. Neon lights illuminated the stage and interior when still retaining that subtle ambience that heavily complimented the set up. Mahogany chairs and glistening overhead lights created a soothing atmosphere, the light refracting off of the glass and creating mini spotlights that glittered on every wall. 

Jooheon walked next to him, his perfume delicate and light but still enough to make Ten want to ask what it was. 

"That table is free," Wonho pointed out, gesturing to a table near the edge of the place. It wasn't too close nor too far from the stage where people were currently performing a joke rendition of rap god. 

Ten and Taeyong shuffled into one side while the rest sat on the other, the men momentarily distracted by the surprisingly quick rapping of the girl on stage. 

"You rap that fast, don't you, Jooheon?" Taeyong said almost teasingly, attention flickering from Jooheon to the girl, "I still remember how you completely obliterated the competition."

His expression was bashful, the pink dusting across his cheeks almost invisible under the now blue lighting. "I think you mean we beat the competition. You and I both won," Taeyong hummed in acknowledgement, not bothering to dispute the claim - knowing it to be true.

Wonho took a menus, handing it out to everyone while speaking. "You two have met before?" 

Ten looked over the menu briefly, not too interested in the food being offered. Instead, he was heavily interested (and nosy) about that story. Jooheon and Taeyong weren't an odd combination, he actually thought they complimented each other, though they didn't seem like the type to hang around with each other for the hell of it. 

"We actually met at an underground rapping contest and decided to pair up for the event," Jooheon said. 

"It was a while back though, I'm surprised still remember me," Taeyong continued, his shoulders relaxed and aura easy going. 

Minhyuk laughed, flicking to the drinks page on the menu, "You're really handsome, it's had to forget someone with a bone structure like you."

Quality entertainment was watching Taeyong getting embarrassed because he tended to have the best reactions. Right now he was hiding his face, covering it with his hands and unwilling to show his red cheeks. "Ah, thank you…"

"Cute," Wonho commented just moments before the waitress came over to ask for their orders. 

Not really in the mood for anything too heavy, Ten ordered some nachos with cheese with Pepsi. ("Coke is for people with no taste," he had said with a rough poke to the menu when questioned, "I might be a fool but I'm not a tasteless fool.") 

His attention was mostly on Jooheon, watching him quietly as he interacted with the others with dimpled smiles and hearty laughs - even busting into a few raps here and there with Taeyong. 

From what he had observed, the music major was nothing if not charming. Ten thought of himself as a good judge of character and everything in him screamed that Jooheon was the ideal boyfriend. He was funny, he liked to compliment off handedly, and he was cute. What was there not to like? 

Really his job couldn't be any simpler, all he had to do was encourage them to confess since they were obviously compatible. 

A couple of times he had been caught staring and he would have been embarrassed had Jooheon not been a good sport about it, winking at him and mouthing 'call me', a gesture he eagerly returned when he spotted Jooheon observing from the corner of his eyes; a little harmless joking never hurt anyone. 

"You know," Wonho started, a manic glint in his eyes as he swallowed his mouthful of chips, "Jooheon likes to pretend he's tough even though he's really a big baby. The other day, he was taking a shower and singing," Jooheon's dismayed protests were ignored, each one of them savouring the story, "and he started screaming. We would have gone and checked but he then started rapping and we assumed it was just him being him. Well, five minutes later we hear screaming _again_ and it's the kind you hear in horror films - loud and annoying - so Minhyuk went and guess what he was screaming and crying over?"

"Hyung n-"

"A woodlouse. One of those tiny little things that curled into a ball and he was naked and pointing at it, demanding I take it out. The sad thing was that he looked like he was going to pass out when I picked it up," Minhyuk accompanied the ending with a tut and shake of his head, his own laughter threatening to spill past his lips as Jooheon groaned. 

If they said that they weren't thoroughly entertained by the image of a naked Jooheon blubbering over a tiny little insect, they would be committing the sin of deceit.

"Hm, so if I were to flick a spider on you right now, you would scream?" Ten joked, Jooheon's pout reminding him of a child. 

"I would bite your fingers off." Valid response.

"Oh my god, JOOHEON!" Taeyong shrieked, pointing to a random corner next to the boy and making him jump ten feet into the air, his own scream much louder and much more attention grabbing. Upon realising there was nothing there, Jooheon's pout transformed into a frown and he crossed his arms. 

"You're all so rude."

"It's too easy to scare you, Jooheonie," Minhyuk explained poorly, stealing a waffle fry from Jooheon's plate, "oh look the microphones are free, who wants to go and do something?" 

"I'm up for it." and "Sure," were the responses from both Taeyong and Wonho who stood up, following behind Minhyuk. 

"You don't want to go up?" Ten shook his head at Taeyong's question, he didn't really want to. Jooheon had the same reaction and he could have cried from gratitude. Finally he had him alone and could make some progress.

The trio made themselves comfortable, picking out three songs that they each wanted to do before actually starting. 

A few starting notes played, the sound of a ballad filling the area, the air buzzing with excitement. Everyone was a sucker for ballads, whether they admitted it or not. 

"Could I have some?" Jooheon asked suddenly, startling Ten as he nodded and lifted his arm to push the plate towards him. However before he could do so, Jooheon has gotten up and moved to beside him. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Almost like a spell had been cast, Ten could hardly remember what he wanted to ask. 

For a few moments it was silent, Jooheon quietly eating the nachos while he fiddled with his rings and sipped on the pepsi. What was wrong with him? He was a hell of a lot more confident than this so why had he gone completely mute?

"Are you in university?" Jooheon questioned, his head tilting like a puppy. 

"I used to be. I dropped out though, it was too much stress, I was a dance major," There was no judgment, only a sympathetic hum. "How is yours going?" 

A fingers tapped on the wood of the table in a steady rhythm, matching the beat of the song that played. "It's going good. I managed to land a job with starship as a producer," Jooheon scooted closer and he could now smell the faint undertone of vanilla that laced his scent. 

"Wow, you really went for the big shots? Why didn't you go up? Show us what a music major is made of," Teasing him was an effective way of getting his mind off of how nice Jooheon smelt and how pretty he looked under the sparkling light. 

"I come here a lot, people are probably sick of hearing me rap. I wanted to get to know you better," His heart really shouldn't have sped up the way it did, his palms sweaty. "You're a nice guy."

"Thanks, you're not bad yourself," they fell into another silence, only the sound of Wonho's singing and the blood rushing past his ears could be heard. 

"So, Ten. Are you single?" Mouth dry, he nodded, engulfed in the warm chocolate of Jooheon's hues. 

"Yeah, I'm single. What about you?" Okay, he could make this conversation work; he just needed to focus. 

"You know the answer to that," Jooheon laughed, the barest hint of self deprecation rearing its head. "Does she, uh, ever talk about me?" 

Apparently he didn't need to do anything, Jooheon was already miles ahead. "Yes she does. She talks about you a lot, Hyung," He swallowed, "Remember when we first met? She told me she had a crush on you." 

Momentarily, he stopped chewing and just stared at Ten, the song on the background seemingly only amplifying the situation. 

"Oh," Ten swallowed another mouthful of pepsi.

"Yeah," Jooheon's hands were warm on his, his much smaller fingers completely encompassed as he squeezed them affectionately. It was a normal gesture of gratitude but his heart jolted anyway, the words he wanted to spit out suddenly getting caught in his throat. 

"Can I-" He nodded despite not knowing the full question and he almost regretted agreeing. The hair atop of Jooheon's head was soft, tickling his neck as he laid his head on his shoulder, a content sigh passing his lips. "Sorry, I'm just a little tired."

"You know, Hyung," Ten croaked, fingers flexing around the drink can, "you really should confess. I've known you both for basically two months now and it's pretty clear you wouldn't lose anything by doing so."

Jooheon didn't speak, his wordless huff sending vibrations through his body. "Do you think so? All my friends say so but it's hard to believe them, you know? How can I when they hardly spent time with her?"

"That's true."

"You work with her a lot, so I trust you," He froze a little, body stiff as Jooheon remained unaware of the effect of his words. "Hah, you're almost like one of those matchmaker people Minhyuk-hyung's been begging me to see."

His laugh was a little forced and a lot ironic, the buzzing under his skin increasing tenfold as Jooheon shifted, his hand accidentally grazing Ten's thigh.

"Sorry."

Ten gritted his teeth. 

"It's okay."

It wasn't. It _really_ wasn't. 

* * *

"Ten? Are you okay?" Her voice was much softer than usual, her feet gently guiding his stool from side to side as they sat at the counters. Ten seemed to be doing a lot of sitting around these days, either silently or just in thought. 

"Yeah, I'm just thinking about something," He was thinking about multiple things really, like how he could feel this impending sense of doom that almost seemed to suffocate him whenever he saw her or even just entered the restaurant. 

She shifted, stool scraping slightly against the floor and ringing out loudly, a couple of customers glancing at her before resuming their conversations. "Penny for your thoughts?" 

His lips parted, seriously contemplating whether he should just say everything that was on his mind. Both the pros and cons were equal, neither better or worse than the other; if you forgot one thing that was. 

That he was technically a fraud, hired to play cupid and match two university age people together. Most people wouldn't really react positively if they knew this fact and no matter how much he thought he knew her, he couldn't be sure of her reaction. 

So Ten shook his head, smile slightly forced. "Nothing really, it's just me over thinking."

Patting him on the thigh, she gave him an understanding look and stood up when she saw a customer walking in, only to be stopped by Renjun who had already rushed towards them.

"I hope you reach a good conclusion to your thoughts."

Adjusting her white bottom up, his eyes followed her moments as she closed her cuffs, the motion incredibly attractive. If she noticed his staring then she didn't say anything. 

"If Kun-ge sees you two doing nothing, he's going to eat you," Yangyang 'helpfully' offered, his grin diabolical as he rested his head on his palm. "I think I need to cough, hold o-"

"Why are you so annoying?" She cut him off with a slap to his wrist, his hand giving out from under his face and sending him flying towards the counter at top speeds, "oh look, there's something to do."

The bell jingled again and in came another customer with their head covered in a beanie and leather jacket almost smothering them with how big it was. Ten looked closer, an air of familiarity around the man and his mind working overtime to figure out who it was before finally receiving his answer as Yangyang grumbled: Jooheon. 

Jooheon waved at them, seating himself down in one of the tables closest to the edge of the restaurant. Ten noticed that they all really seemed to like sitting away from people.

Dejun was nowhere to be seen and Yangyang would have rather eaten his own toe than get up and serve, leaving her to head over to Jooheon's table while Ten watched on. 

They both represented the sea and the sky, two things that could be separately admired but were more beautiful when put together. Their interactions has purpose yet still remained playful - Jooheon's laughter at a silly joke she had slipped in echoing in the shop and in his ears. 

"Cute, right?" He looked over his shoulder to see Yangyang also staring at the two of the two of them, "it's really annoying how neither of them have the balls to say something."

Despite how crudely he had said it, Yangyang was right and everyone knew it. 

"But they're a lot more confident now and I think it was you that did something. You spent time with them both and I'm willing to get that they'll confess before the week ends," Ten only offered a dismissive shrug, keeping his attention mostly on them.

She was the one laughing now, eyes alight with mirth while she struggled to hold the pen still, jotting down his order.Then as soon as she finished, she returned to the till.

The order note was handed over to Yangyang who saluted her and marched into the kitchen, the faint sound of Kun's name being called as he annoyed the poor shop owner. 

"Having fun?" Ten remarked, eyes wrinkling as he smiled, the burning in his sternum shoved down until he could no longer think about it. "Seems like you're both entertained."

"Whatever," A rapid scan around the place showed that no one needed anything, everyone content and happy with the service, "why don't you come too? Jooheon said he wants to talk to you."

The way his body responded to that was stupid, aniety spiking and mind going to the worst case scenario despite knowing how unlikely that was. What he was thinking of was similar to a pained scream but what came out of his mouth was an 'okay.'

Legs feeling like stilts, he took the seat opposite Jooheon while she sat beside him. 

"What's up?"

"Nothing much, you?"

"Same," Jooheon took off his beanie, ruffled black hair falling over his eyes as he pocketed it. "I've just been finding things to do and since I had nothing better planned, I decided I would honour you all by coming here."

Her eyes rolled, gaze flickering between the two men. "You've been spending too much time together, you sound like Ten."

"Is that a bad thing?" Jooheon asked, winking reassuringly at Ten who could feel his brain shutting down, his mouth refusing to move or even make any other motion than a love struck grin. It really was awe inspiring how quickly they could turn him into illiterate mush. 

"Of course not, but another one of him," She paused to think with a finger on her chin, "would be a lot of effort."

She really was trying to kill him. 

The atmosphere was warm and not at all unpleasant, it never was with either of them. He could have stayed with them forever and he would never feel anything apart from content. 

"You both love me really," He purposely fluttered his lashes, exaggerating his pout in an effort to hear their laughter, the sounds so smooth and addicting that he almost wanted to continue playing the part of the court jester. 

"Yes we do, it's hard not to," Jooheon said, her nod of agreement backing up his statement. He refused to let his cheeks turn pink, instead letting the heat simmer in his gut and boil him from the inside out. "Your jobs are going well?"

"As well as they normally do but," She leant in closer to them, voice powering, "Kun's been even nicer than usual, Yukhei asking him out was a complete success."

Widening his eyes, Jooheon made a noise of amazement. "Really? Xuxi and Kun?"

"Really," Came the confirmation, "and Ten here gave him the idea and gave him advice on how to ask him out."

"That's so cool, you really are like a matchmaker," The comment was innocent, said with no malice intentions but it still managed to make his stomach turn unpleasantly. He was violently reminded about how this relationship he had with them was manufactured, a product of his job and something he was paid to have. "You should work at that company Only One Of."

"Yeah," Ten said, "I should."

Knowing that she had picked up on the sudden change of emotion within him, he refused to even glance in her direction. She would tear him apart, recognise each and every emotion he was feeling with just a single look. 

Thankfully, like the Saviour he was, Dejun appeared with the food Jooheon had ordered and placed it down on the table, giving both her and Ten a look before telling him to enjoy his meal. 

"Oh, can I have a roll?" Jooheon almost left a dust outline of his arm in the air with how fast he moved, moving the plate towards her. However, se didn't pick it up just yet. "You know, Ten, I've never seen you eat anything from here apart from that fortune cookie."

Now that he thought about it, he really hadn't touched anything apart from that biscuit. It wasn't that he thought Kun's cooking was bad, quite the opposite actually, he just never had the chance. 

"Wow, really? If I worked here I would look like a dumpling with how good everything is. You need to have a spring roll at least," Weak to the power of Jooheon's puppy eyes, he was about to reach for one when he beat him to it, picking it up and pressing it against his lips. 

"Say ah," The heat that had ebbed away now returned full force, his mouth opening at his command as he held eye contact, endless hues not once leaving his as the crispy pastry passed his lips. Up close, he was even more breathtaking, irises holding all the wisdom in the world. Perhaps if he looked close enough, he could find and answer to why they made him feel like this. 

"Good, isn't it?" Jooheon looked at her then Ten with glimmering eyes, the childish excitement he had seen before making an adorable appearance again. "Kun makes the best food."

Ten nodded, biting halfway down the roll and chewing as he put the other half in her mouth. The flavour and taste was amazing, nonetheless he couldn't fully appreciate it because he was gulping it down, self conscious under the weight of their combined attentions. 

"It's really good," Ten said before the table went quiet. 

Serenity was the way they were all so comfortable in the silence. It was the way Jooheon held all the stars in the palm of his hand; it was the way she could speak to anyone and everyone with whatever was on her mind and engage them; it was how they both moved so fluidly with the world around them and dragged him into his feelings head first. 

It made him uncomfortable, palms wiping against his jeans as he stood up, bowing quickly and stiffly. "I'm going to go check if there's anymore deliveries."

They nodded understandingly, her legs moving aside to let him past. He walked away with such speed that he almost couldn't hear the thumping of his pulse in his ears. 

Tend couldn't resist a glance back over his shoulder and he was once again reminded that he was a stranger, a nobody who had somehow managed to tangle himself in their lives. They were happy with their conversation, in tune and in sync with each other. 

Ten had one his job by getting them this far and that was all he needed to do; nothing less and nothing more. 

* * *

Minhyuk: Thank you so much!

Minhyuk: She asked him out on a date yesterday and said that you gave her the idea

Minhyuk: I'll be paying the rest of the money soon but I'm so grateful to you!

Ten: I'm glad I could help

Ten: :)! You're welcome 

Minhyuk: !!!

His phone was shoved away violently, the sudden and overwhelming urge to cry leaving him weak and lost, throat closing up as his eyes stung. He knew that he was being foolish and that he was and absolute idiot for falling in love with the two people who he absolutely shouldn't have. They were supposed to be clients and yet he had still managed to fuck that up. 

For a ridiculously long time he was silent, staring at his completed worksheet with a heavy heart. There was nothing left to do and it was like a part of him had been misplaced. 

It bothered him so much that he was head over heels for people who were already occupied with each other, it was just his damn luck that he would be in this situation. A million thoughts distracted him, each one more self deprecating and invasive than the last. 

"Ten? Are you he-" Taeyong's head popped around the corner, stopping himself when he spotted Ten sat soundlessly at his desk. "Oh you are."

Taeyong moved his chair into the small space, playfully tugging Ten towards him. "Aren't you supposed to be at the restaurant?"

"Not anymore, my job is finished," Showing the elder the messages, Taeyong's lips formed an impressed 'o'. "She made the first move."

Brown hues looked at Ten and the phone, then back again at Ten. "You seem sad."

Phone safely tucked back into his pocket, Ten's expression was calm and collected, not giving away a single thing. "Do I? I'm just happy the job is finally over."

"If you're going to lie, you should at least attempt to make it believable," Doyoung butted in, forcing his way into the already stuffed cubicle with his own spinning chair. "You are upset and trying to hide it will only make it worse. You were here all this time and you didn't try to annoy me even once? That _never_ happens." 

Damn, why did they have to know him so well?

"It's nothing, don't mind me. I'm just not having a good day," Doyoung's stare was intense, forcing him to turn his head to avoid it, only to meet Taeyong's furrowed brows and concerned visage. It was suffocating. "Can you guys uh, move?"

Doyoung completely ignored him, zeroing in on the computer with their case still displayed on the monitor. "It's because of them, isn't it?" 

"What are you talking about? Doyoung, move out of my wa-" He made a motion to send up, only to be hit with one of Taeyong's infamous dad glares that made him freeze. For someone so cute and endlessly kind, it was a shock to the system when his features were cold and domineering. 

"Ten, sit down," he obeyed instantly, "is that true? You're upset because the case is finished?"

Lying now wouldn't do him any good, especially since they could see through his lies like they were glass. "…I guess."

"Hyung, I don't think it's actually the case. It's Jooheon-ssi and (y/n)-ssi, right?" He slumped into his chair, Doyoung hitting the nail straight on the head. 

The emotions he had controlled until now were bubbling to the surface again, the stinging in his era returning tenfold as he attempted to swallow the lump in his throat. "Yeah… It's them."

Taeyong placed his hand on his, holding it with the intention comforting him; and it did do that. "I think I'm in love with them both and," He stopped himself before his voice could break actively avoiding making eye contact, "it's fucking stupid, they were supposed to be just clients but then they had to go and be so, so-"

"Nice?" Doyoung offered and he nodded.

"I can't even talk to them because I'm some stranger that was hired to be their friend to fix their love life, of course I had to like them too and fuck it up."

Neither of them said a word, letting him rant as he saw fit until he couldn't speak anymore, his threatening to crack and waterline brimming with frustrated tears. 

"Have you tried to speak with them?" Taeyong asked and he shook his head. "Do you want to?"

"Not right now," He attempted to blink away the evidence of his frustrations, taking a deep breath as he tried to regulate his heart. "Not for a while."

"You should go home," Doyoung pushed his chair back, "we'll cover for you, say you had an emergency. Just take a few days off, okay?" 

Just as he was about to protest, Taeyong sent him another stern look and he yielded, nodding and logging off his computer as they moved to give him space. He picked up his jacket, slipping it on his arms and walking away, only just catching the faint encouragement from Taeyong: 'Give yourself time, Tennie.'

He would give himself time but how much time was long enough?

* * *

A week has passed and he really wasn't doing much better than before. After abruptly texting Kun that he was quitting and blocking everyone's numbers, it should have felt therapeutic. Instead all he felt was hurt, scrolling through her messages didn't help him at all, yet he still picked his phone up constantly in hopes of seeing a new message. 

He didn't even drive past the restaurant anymore, fearful of making eye contact with one of them and having the entire thing spiral. It wasn't their fault that he had developed feelings when he shouldn't have, it would be selfish of him to force them to have that confrontation.

Ten was doing what was best, hiding away in his flat and refusing to do anything apart from watch dramas (many of which were romantic, adding salt to the wound) and laze around.

Taeyong: Have u even eaten anything

Ten: would u believe me if i said yes?

Taeyong: >:|

Ten: ^^

Taeyong: I sent you food

Taeyong: It's takeaway, I didn't have enough time to send you anything homemade, sorry

Ten: It's okay

Ten: Thank you so much Hyung

Taeyong: It's the least I could do

Ten: Love u

Ten: :*

Taeyong: Love you too

Taeyong: It says it'll be there soon, tell me if it's good. 

He was so grateful for them both, if they both weren't there to support him he would have been floundering around much more. Even if they couldn't directly do anything about the dull aches he felt, the small things were helping him immensely.

A knock on the door made him get up from the sofa, a dent in the seat from where he had spent hours lounging. The door was opened and he was wholly unprepared for who was stood there. 

There she was, one half of the people he had been avoiding like the plague, stood with food in her hands and a shocked expression. As per usual, she was the one to snap to her senses first.

"Ten?" 

Instinctively, he rushed to close the door but she had stuck her foot into the doorway, letting it be crushed for the sake of stopping him from hiding. How could Taeyong do that to him? On one hand, he was furious, why would Taeyong force him into this situation so early? But on the other, he was _glad_ to see her, the week apart only served to bring his attention to all the details of her that he was beginning to forget.

"Ten, you're hurting my foot," The sound of pain in her voice made him rush to open the door, feeling immensely guilty. "I'm just here to deliver your food, I'm not here to quiz you."

He hated that she didn't question him, choosing to respect his choices and decisions even when he knew that hundreds of questions were swimming in her head. 

That hatred was what led to him staring silently at her angrily, furrowed brows instead of just taking his food and being done with it. 

She must have misinterpreted his silence because she was speaking already. "The food is paid for, you do-"

"Aren't you mad?" She stopped, expression twisting into one of confusion. 

"At what?" 

He scoffed, the speeding of his heart sending rushes of adrenaline throughout his body. "At me quitting suddenly and giving you no explanation."

She was nothing but calm while he struggled to articulate even a simple sentence, it was maddening. "Why would I be mad? You had your reasons and I'm not going to pry. You're entitled to your privacy, Ten."

There was that understanding that he had fallen for in working at its full capacity. She was the voice of reason that was slowly being drowned out by his own insecurities.

"Weren't you hurt? I blocked your number."

Now she was looking at him like he was crazy; he honestly felt like he was. 

"Ten, is something wrong?" Her hand reached out for his and the touch sent sparks up his skin, his instinctive reaction being to jerk his entire body away. He didn't miss the hurt that flashed across her face. "You sound like you want me to be angry with you."

Everything was boiling, steaming and reaching its end, the stirring of everything in his chest threatening to spill over and destroy whatever dignity he had left 

"Maybe I do," The whisper was so quiet that even he struggled to hear it.

"Can you say that again?" 

"Maybe I do," He repeated, this time louder and with stern eye contact.

"I-I'm not understanding you."

"I _said_ , I want you to be angry with me. I want you to be hurt. I want to know that you feel something for me and that I have some sort of chance." Desperation moved his mouth for him, brain not registering anything apart from how stunning she was even when doing absolutely nothing. "It's not fair. You don't even care, you don't give a single shit and I care so much more than you do."

"Ten of course I care about you, I was so confused that you blocked me but I didn't want to make it seem like I was overbearing by asking you why. And then you quit and I had no way of contacting you."

She was logical and that, in his muddled mind, came across as dismissive. She didn't care about him the same way he did.

"You don't," He shook his head, biting his cheek, "Not how I care about you or Hyung."

"Hyung? Do you mean Jooheon?" She breathed, reaching out to touch him again but stopping halfway upon remembering how he had jumped away, "You're our friend. You mean a lot to us both but I don't understand what you're trying to imply."

It was now or never, the adrenaline making his muscles tense. 

"I'm saying that I'm in love with you," Her eyes widened and lips parted in shock, "I'm in love with you and Jooheon-hyung and I know that neither of you feel the same way. I wanted some hope, I wanted to know if you maybe felt the same but it's obvious you don't," His words were bitter while she remained silent. "I think it's best none of us talk again, I want to get over you both and seeing you won't help me."

The door was closing again, the only sound he could hear was that of his heart shattering into a million pieces. 

"Ten, wait!" Her body moved quietly, holding the door open, "I- please, I know you said you don't want to talk to us any more but I listen to me, just this last time. Come to the restaurant at closing and we can speak clearly. It's not ideal here and I really want to talk to you properly," He stared at her and her begging eyes, the pleading within them wearing his resolve until he broke.

"Okay," Ten swallowed, "I'll come."

"Thank you," The food was handed to him, still warm, "I'll… See you later?"

He nodded, watching as she rushed down the hallway and the stairs while looking at her phone, the adrenaline wearing off as the realisation of what had just transpired hit him dead in the face. 

He had just confessed. Ten had just _confessed._

A million different emotions hit him at once but the most easily discernible one was anger. Taeyong must have set this up on purpose, why else would she be at his doorstep otherwise? 

Grabbing his phone from the table, he jabbed the screen and pulled up Taeyong's chat.

Ten: Why would you do that?

Ten: She was the fucking deliverer

Ten: I said I wanted time

Ten: And now I made a fool of myself

Ten: Thanks. 

Taeyong: What do you mean?

Taeyong: I ordered food from the place Doyoung said you liked

Taeyong: I didn't know she was going to do your delivery

Taeyong: I'm really sorry Ten

Taeyong: I didn't mean to hurt you

Doyoung... Obviously it had to be Doyoung.

Ten: Of course it was him

Ten: Damn demon

Ten: Sorry Hyung

Ten: I'm just scared

Ten: I yelled at her that I liked her and Jooheon-hyung and she just told me to meet her at the restaurant at closing

Ten: Shitting myself xx

Taeyong: I guess the best thing to do would just be to talk with her then

Taeyong: You never know what can happen

Ten: Yeah, you're right.

Ten: Thank you

Taeyong: Fighting!

Ten: Fighting

Running a hand through his hair, he stumbled onto his sofa and stared up at the clock; a few more hours and he would be facing everything he had been running from. 

He was terrified.

* * *

The restaurant was the same as ever, no visible change other than the fact that there was no one other than him around. It was completely deserted apart from two other cars in the car park. He recognised one of them as hers but he was clueless to who the other Audi belonged to. 

For a few minutes he did nothing other than sit there and steel his nerves, staring at the sign and wondering if he really should go in. He was already here, it would just take a couple more steps and he could finally have an ending to what he was feeling. 

With that resolution in his head, he got out of his car and closed the door, letting the cool air carry away some of his worries before he headed towards the front of the store, hood pulled down so he could clearly see inside. 

The lights were on, ruby and yellow bathing the interior while the sound of the bell jingling permeated throughout. He looked around, unable to see anyone.

"You came!" Ten blinked, hearing Jooheon's voice but unable to pinpoint where it was coming from, "over here, Ten."

He couldn't help but huff, of course he hadn't seen either of them because they were hiding in one of the corner tables - it was hilariously true to character.

Unlike the disgust or pity that Ten had expected to see, there way instead nothing but welcoming but happiness, making him feel miles better about the situation.

"Hi," She greeted, following his movements as he sat down opposite them, "Sorry for the place of choice. It was the easiest place to meet and I was on closing duty anyway."

"It's okay," Sitting down, he felt a little out of place, though it wasn't overpowering enough to have him racing back to his car. "What… What did you want to say?"

It was Jooheon that spoke. "Minhyuk and Kihyun-hyung told us what you did," It wasn't said with any accusations or anger, just stated like the fact it was. His mouth was tightly shut, refusing to move. "That they hired you to get me and (y/n) together. I'm not going to lie, Ten, I was a little annoyed that they did that but not with you. You were just doing your job and it would be unfair of me to be angry when you actually did your job really well." 

Ten remained silent, the weight that had been crushing him lifting and letting him breathe. Jooheon was sincere with his words, his expression soft. 

"It was you that finally gave me the confidence to go out of my way and ask Jooheon out, you were so helpful and I'm incredibly grateful. I wanted to tell you, though when I went to text you it said I was blocked. I asked Kun and he said you had quit and blocked him too. At first I was confused and thought that maybe you would unblock me afterwards. You didn't."

She didn't let him speak, motioning for him to listen as his mouth opened to try and justify himself. 

"We started talking about you and how it was really weird that you just disappeared. You're so happy and carefree, why would you just drop off the face of the earth? As we talked we realised something but had no way to tell you about it," Jooheon dropped his head, looking at the table. It was weird seeing him so nervous when Ten had never been witness to anything more than his happiness.

Hands reached for his, holding them in hers like he was a fine piece of china, touch so tender that he could have burst into tears without a single regret. "Then I saw you today and you said that you were in love with me and Jooheon, I was so surprised because now I knew our feelings were reciprocated."

Now it was him that had eyes the size of golf balls, completely mute as he gaped at the couple before him. 

"We really like you too. During the week when you went MIA, we realised that we both held the same feelings towards you and that there was no jealousy," Another hand slipped over their already joined ones.

"I guess what we're asking now is if you would like to be our boyfriend?"

Ten gulped, fingers lacing with whoever's he could reach as he beamed, almost splitting his cheeks. "You have no idea how happy I am."

"That's a yes?" Jooheon laughed.

"It's a fuck yes."

Dragged into a hug over the table, arms wrapped around him comfortingly and enveloped him in a warmth that seeped through his skin and set his heart alight in a flame that finally wasn't painful. The world was nothing to him if it meant he that he could stay this way forever. Conceivably, Doyoung was a genius, an idiot, but a genius nonetheless.

* * *

"Noona, that's not fair, you and Ten-ge are here to taunt me," Renjun's whines were as endless as his glee at seeing the younger boy distressed. "I should kick you all out."

"You would do that to the people who brought ice cream for all the employees?" His head craning over his shoulder, he saw Jooheon walk in with both hands full with a variety of ice cream and began his damage control with splutters of 'of course not, Hyung' and 'you wouldn't be mean to yangie, would you?' followed with an atrociously cute aegyo that left Ten both cringing and highly impressed. 

"You're lucky you've got a cute face," Ten tutted, ruffling his hair seconds later as Jooheon handed him a large cone with an excessive amount of sprinkles. Then a cone was presented in front of him and he looked up to see Jooheon holding it out for him to take. "You got me one? That's so boyfriend of you."

Delighted, he took it and squeezed Jooheon's hand, admiring the way his dimples carved into his cheeks in joy at the simple action.

"Hm, it looks like strawberry flavour. That's your favourite right?" 

"What? Real-" Upon hearing their laughter he deadpanned, nailing them both with an unamused glare, "I hate you."

"Too bad we love you," Jooheon pinched his cheek, practically smothering him in affection while the others came out of their workspaces at the sound of free treats.

"You're going to melt them if you get anymore heated," Kun remarked, thanking Jooheon profusely for the food, "your anniversary is tomorrow, isn't it?"

The trio nodded, it had been almost a year since the entire matchmaking debacle and they were still together with no signs of it ever being otherwise.

"Did you and Xuxi do anything for yours?" Jooheon questioned, sitting in the middle of her and Ten while stealing a lick of his vanilla ice cream.

Yukhei nodded, arm slinging over Kun's shoulder and forcing both Dejun and Yangyang to scoot over. "We went to watch a musical Kun-ge wanted to see, it was really good!"

"You guys make me feel left out," Dejun commented, perched on the counter while Yangyang mumbled an 'I know right.'

There was meaningless chatter between them all, the restaurant near its closing time anyway and there were no customers to tend to. Kun headed to the kitchen and brought out some of the older fortune cookies that hadn't been sold. 

"Here, I'd hate to waste them while they're still good so go wild," Then he gave both Renjun and Yangyang a hard glare, "not not too wild."

Everyone reached for one, laughing at the prophecies written and poking fun at Kun for writing such sappy fortunes that he didn't even attempt to defend - only taking the jeering with his signature smile. 

"Heonie, what does yours say?" They looked over his shoulder to see the words 'happiness will find you' printed in swirling red font, his grin broad as he pressed kisses to their cheeks. 

"It found me alright, in the form of you two," Half groaning and half laughing at Jooheon's cheesiness, Ten broke open his. 

"It says 'what you treasure the most is right in front of you'," Another series of laughter erupted, Renjun's gagging noises ringing loudly before he actually gagged. Ten called that instantly karma.

She shook her head at his idiocy, leaning closer to look at the fortune. "You know, that reminded me. When you were first hired, we gave you a biscuit and the fortune said that you'll get what you give to others, I think it came true, don't you agree? You gave other people love and now you have it."

"I never thought about it like that," Ten said, remembering the moment a little fuzzily but still managing to remember most of the moment - including how consuming her eyes had been when she told him that all of Kun's fortunes came true.

While his head rested on Jooheon's shoulder, his legs curled around hers as they ate their biscuits, he knew that they did, in fact, become a reality.

Ten had received exactly what he had given away for so long. 


End file.
